On March 4, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims held an oversight hearing on “Operation Predator,” an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), created in July 2003. The program is designed to locate, arrest, and deport alien child predators through coordinated agency resources and intelligence.
In his opening remarks, Subcommittee Chair John Hostettler (R-IN) noted that over 2,000 child predators have been arrested since the establishment of Operation Predator. “This project clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the merger of various immigration and law enforcement components into the Department of Homeland Security,” he said. Rep. Hostettler also stressed “the need to draw on cooperation from state, local and non-governmental resources to combat the national tragedy of child exploitation and abuse.”
Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) described Operation Predator as “extremely important.” She said that child sexual abuse is an international issue, and noted that American sex tourists are part of the problem.
Testifying on behalf of the ICE, Michael Garcia stated, “Experts estimate that one in five girls and one in ten boys in the United States are sexually exploited before they reach adulthood. That tragedy is compounded by the fact that child prostitution, human trafficking, child pornography, and international sex tourism now generate billions of dollars worldwide.” Mr. Garcia said that cooperation among agencies and organizations under Operation Predator was the key to success, and said that ICE partners include state and local police departments, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), INTERPOL, and the Department of Justice.
John Walsh of NCMEC and the television show “America’s Most Wanted” highlighted the recent cooperative agreement between NCMEC and the ICE, and said that it will “enhance our partnership and effectiveness in meeting the goals of Operation Predator.” He explained that NCMEC “will furnish ICE with evidence and leads it receives on child pornography and suspected child violators through its national CyberTipline (1-800-843-5678 or cybertipline.com),” and the ICE “has agreed to provide NCMEC with access to child pornography images and identifying information…to assist NCMEC with its effort to locate missing and exploited children.”
In the question and answer period, Mr. Garcia acknowledged that the smuggling of Mexican children into the U.S. is “a big problem,” and that is becoming “widespread.” Referring to the president’s FY2005 budget request of an additional $186 million for the ICE, Mr. Garcia stressed that these funds were needed as part of a long-term plan, which includes building an effective database.
Rep. Lee asked, “Are we getting the cooperation of foreign governments?” Mr. Garcia said that some foreign governments such as Mexico have worked with the U.S., but that it takes “training and education” to create a partnership. Mr. Walsh pointed out that Mexico has not signed an extradition treaty with the U.S. even though “we give them aid money.” He spoke of pedophile tours to Thailand, and added, “In Thailand, you can buy a little girl.” Mr. Walsh agreed that the State Department should put pressure on foreign countries to cooperate. Rep. Lee suggested that a hearing be held with representatives from the State Department to pursue these strategies.
